Dems Sell Women’s Rights Down River Of Health Care Denial

A few thoughts on last night’s health care reform vote and the Stupak Amendment. First of all, 21 out of the 64 Democrats who voted for Stupak then proceeded to vote against the health care reform bill. In other words, women’s reproductive rights were severely compromised to appease 41 members of Congress. The final vote on the health care bill was 220-215, so only a few of those votes were needed in the first place to secure the vote. For this, in the 11th hour, Nancy Pelosi made a deal with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Why when millions of women need basic sexual and reproductive health care is it important for the USCCB to be "working out" any plan?
What does Henry Waxman, Nancy Pelosi or any other member of Congress
owe the Catholic Bishops that they do not owe the majority of women in
this country? What does Obama owe the Bishops that he does not owe you
and me, for example, most of those of us who gave money and time and
our lives to his campaign?Do we live in a theocracy?

Honestly: I would like an answer. From the White House. From the House Leadership. And you should want one too.

One reaction that I do take issue with is Jane Hamsher's
assertion that NARAL and Planned Parenthood shoulder part of the blame
for what happened. As much as I generally respect Hamsher, her
reasoning is baffling.

But let's be clear about this. The only reason that we
are in the position where the price of passing health care reform is
allowing even liberal Marcy Kaptur to sneeringly dismiss choice
activists as narrow class warriors who don't care about working women
is because Planned Parenthood and NARAL have allowed it to happen.
They collect millions of dollars in revenue each year. They've exacted
no price from the Marcy Kapturs of the world, who actually have to care
what liberals think of them, and focused instead on anti-choice
Republicans who are only empowered by their ire. They have no scalps.
There is no price for bucking Planned Parenthood and NARAL. It isn't a
fight that the Democrats want to spend "political capital" on, and
these groups insure that they don't have to.

Forget about the fact that more Americans are now anti-choice than
pro-choice for the first time since Gallup has been polling the issue.
More and more Democrats in Congress each year are
anti-choice, despite the fact that the party is . It's acceptable
now. These groups have the lobbyists, the money, the access, and their
leadership uses it for their own personal advancement while the cause
they purport to defend withers on the vine.

The national Planned Parenthood organization listed $126 million in
assets in 2007. Cecile Richards made $385,163 . The state chapters
whose employees put their lives on the line so women can have the right
to choose deserve support and protection within the Democratic party
that she is not providing.

NARAL paid Nancy Keenan $145,538 from the Foundation in 2007, which
listed total assets of $4,119,329. But the NARAL PAC reports $87,125
cash on hand as of September 30, 2009.

And that kind of money was a match for the Catholic Church, Big
Pharma and the Insurance companies? I don't think so. No question
there are things over the years both organizations could, in hindsight
have done better. But their accomplishments speak for themselves and
victim blaming is just not acceptable here.

As @mikkipedia
on Twitter said, "Had a nightmare that extremists took healthcare
hostage and the Dems bargained away women's rights to get it back.
Wait..." Imagine if instead we had a dream where our elected officials
stood up against the few in defense of our human rights. Imagine.

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